


You Took My Desk

by ashfalldown



Category: Lie to Me (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-10
Updated: 2014-04-10
Packaged: 2018-01-18 20:55:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1442527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashfalldown/pseuds/ashfalldown
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cal has taken Loker's desk away, resulting in Eli's very beaten face after his first real day out on the streets. He goes to Cal's house to ask about his desk, but what he gets instead is Cal kissing him better - literally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Took My Desk

“So, how’s the job search going then?” Cal Lightman asked, in the loud obnoxious way he had of announcing his arrival.

Eli Loker looked up from his new temporary desk in the hallway outside of the research lab. He spun his chair around to face his boss.

“Great,” he said nonchalantly. “It’s a lot easier to focus out here, away from the lab. Less distractions.”

Cal smirked, amused. When he’d given the new graduate Loker’s desk away, he’d expected exactly what he’d received – a bratty, petulant attitude. He couldn’t deny that it was fun to watch, and knew that it would only get better once Loker stopped acting like a child and realised _why_ his desk had been given away.

“Well, good then,” Cal said. “Let me know if you need a reference. I have a history with the Pentagon, you know.”

Loker shook his head as he watched Lightman go, almost as awed as he was frustrated.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered to himself as he returned his attention to the computer monitor before him.

“You could try being a little nicer to him,” Foster said, striding after Cal as he headed for his office.

“I could,” Cal agreed. “But where’s the fun in that?”

He smiled at Foster as he stepped into his office, closing the door in her face.

* * *

 

Cal noticed something different about his house as he let himself inside that night.

“Emily?” he called, closing the door. “Em?”

He was only mildly surprised to find Loker sitting at the counter as he entered the kitchen.

“So, how did you get into my house eh?” Cal asked, heading to the fridge.

He pulled two beers out of the fridge and slid one over to Loker.

“Emily let me in,” Eli told him.

“Ah,” Cal said. “Come to kiss my daughter again, have you?”

Eli made a noise of frustration.

“I told you,” he said, “She kissed me. I didn’t want to lie to you – ”

“Well, you couldn’t have lied to me about it, could you?” Cal interrupted.

Loker rolled his eyes, irritated. He refused to get into this argument again. They’d both apologised, but it was still an issue, boiling just beneath the surface of their friendship.

Cal came around the counter, leaning against the edge as he stared over at Loker.

“Right then,” he said eventually. “Where is she, anyway?”

“She’s not here,” Loker told him. “She said to tell you she was spending the night with _Liam_.”

Cal’s eyebrows rose.

“And you just let her go, did you?”

“I couldn’t stop her,” Loker defended himself. “She said not to worry and that she’d be back later.”

“Well, I don’t suppose I can do anything about it now,” Cal sighed, sliding onto the stool beside Eli. “So tell me, what are you doing in my house?”

He took a sip of his beer and watched Eli patiently, waiting for answers.

“Why did you give away my desk?” Loker deflected, meeting Lightman’s stare.

“What happened to your face?” Lightman asked, peering closer.

“You took my desk,” Eli answered. “That’s what happened to my face.”

Cal laughed.

“Welcome to the team,” he said, walking over to the freezer. “Can’t say I haven’t found myself in a few scrapes over the years.”

He rummaged in the back of the freezer, emerging with a bag of frozen peas. Loker took the bag gratefully as Lightman offered it, pressing it against his face.

“You’re holding it in the wrong place,” Cal told him unhelpfully, reclaiming his stool beside Loker.

“I think I would know where my face was swelling,” Loker retorted sarcastically.

“Well that’s what I thought,” Cal told him. “But it looks like we were both wrong.”

Cal took the peas before Loker could protest. He moved his stool closer, his knee resting casually against Eli’s leg. He reached over and gently pressed the bag against Eli’s face.

“I took your desk away,” Cal began, breaking the silence that had fallen. “Because you’re too bloody good to be staying in your lab all day.”

Loker grinned. “Was that an actual compliment?”

“Yeah, well,” Cal grumbled. “Don’t get used to it.”

Loker groaned as he thought of something.

“What?” Cal asked, amused. “You can’t have been used to the compliments already.”

Loker laughed.

“No,” he said. “It’s just, Ria told me that you wanted me on the streets. She’s gonna love hearing that she’s right.”

Cal grinned wickedly. “So we don’t tell her.”

Cal was so close now that Eli could make out all the different shades in his hazel eyes. It was no secret that Eli admired Cal. He might not have liked his methods, but the man was brilliant at what he did.  But for a while now, despite his best efforts, he’d been feeling something a little more than admiration when it came to Cal Lightman. From the way Cal was looking back at him now – dilated pupils and quick, sly glances down at Eli’s mouth it was possible that Cal shared those feelings.

Loker lifted a hand slowly, wrapping it around the arm that held the peas to his face.

“Cal,” he began.

“Loker,” Cal said. “Don’t ruin the moment.”

He leant forward and pressed his lips against Loker’s, ever-mindful of his beaten face. Loker kissed him back enthusiastically, his hands grasping Cal’s face to bring him closer. The peas thumped to the floor as Cal entwined his hands in Loker’s hair.

They froze as they heard keys jangling at the door, breaking apart as Emily walked in.

“Em,” Cal said, leaning casually against the counter as he sipped his now warm beer. “How was your night?”

“Fine,” she said slowly. “How was yours?” she asked slyly, taking in Eli’s messy hair and her father’s too-relaxed attitude.

“Boring,” Cal said. “Loker just came over to talk about a client.”

“Really?” she quirked an eyebrow. “Because when I let him in he said he wanted to talk about his desk.”

“Right, well, that too.”

“Uh-huh,” Emily said, in a way that said she didn’t believe him at all. “Well I’m going to be. Try to keep your, uh, conversation, quiet. Night,” she said as she headed up the stairs.

“Night love,” Cal called after her.

“Night Em,” Loker added.

Loker stood as soon as they heard Emily’s bedroom door close.

“Well, I should be going,” he stammered out. He’d enjoyed kissing Cal – enjoyed it a lot – but almost getting busted by Emily made him nervous for some reason. “Thanks for the, uh, thanks,” he finished lamely, rushing out the door.

Cal laughed to himself as he returned the peas to the freezer. Irritating as he found him, he’d wanted to kiss Loker for a while, and, on a more mischievous level, it was always fun to get under his skin.

* * *

 

Cal strolled casually into the office, and found Loker at his temporary desk.

“Here,” he said, tossing a jacket casually at him. “You left this at my place last night.”

He continued on to his office, smiling to himself when he heard Loker scramble after him.

“Hey,” Loker hissed, closing the door behind him as he followed Cal into his office. “Hey, you can’t just – ”

“Just what?” Cal asked innocently. “Return your property?”

“What if Ria or Foster had seen?”

“And what?” Cal was enjoying seeing Loker work himself into a panic, more than he should have.

“And we had to explain why my jacket was at your place. I don’t know if you’re aware, but we work with _lie detection experts_. We couldn’t exactly hide this from them.”

“What is ‘this’, exactly?” Cal asked, amused.

Loker faltered.

“I – I don’t know,” he admitted.

Cal leant back against his desk.

“But it was nice,” Cal said checking Loker’s reaction. “It was good.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the p – ”

Cal grinned wickedly. “Wanna do it again?”

“I – what?”

“Dinner first this time maybe,” Cal continued, ignoring Loker’s confusion. “What do you think?”

Loker sighed, realising it was useless to argue.

“It sounds great, actually.”

“Good,” Cal said, pleased. “Tonight, after work?”

“Fine,” Loker said. “Sure. Can I get back to work now?” he asked, grinning.

“Well I’m not stopping you,” Cal said, pushing himself up off the desk. He walked Loker over to the door. “Although,” he added slyly, leaning against the door. “You don’t have to go right this second.”

“We have clients, Lightman,” Loker reminded him.

Cal sighed. “You’re right. Go on then.”

He moved aside as Loker reached for the door handle. Loker sighed, changing his mind at the last second. He pressed Cal against the door, kissing him intensely.

“New rule,” Loker said, a little out of breath as they broke apart. “None of this during business hours, or nothing is going to get done.”

“You’re right,” he said, opening the door for Eli. “Wouldn’t want the boss to find out.”

Loker laughed as he stepped out of the office.

“See you later.”

Foster stepped into the office as Loker stepped out.

“What was that about?” she asked, watching Loker return to his desk.

“Nothing,” Cal told her. “What can I do for you, love?”

“That wasn’t nothing,” Foster said. “Or did you forget who you work with?”

“Why do people keep asking me that?” Cal asked. “I started this damn company, I know what we do here.”

“Alright,” Foster said, smiling knowingly as she passed him a folder. “Here. New client. Take a moment to, er, collect yourself, and I’ll see you in the meeting room. They’re waiting for you.”

She turned on her way towards the doorway.

“Oh, and Cal?”

“Yes love?”

“It’s about time,” she told him, giving him a sly smile as she left the room.

 

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoy this kinda content please consider [buying me a coffee!](http://ko-fi.com/A507ZD8)


End file.
